Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT Hellcat confirmed in Detroit
In news that will surprise few, the hotly anticipated Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT Hellcat has been confirmed for a market launch in 2017.
Talk of a Grand Cherokee even more powerful than the current 324kW 6.4-litre SRT model has been circulating since the supercharged 527kW 6.2-litre Dodge Challenger Hellcat and Charger Hellcat models appeared in 2014.
Reports have previously hinted at an insider confirmation of the new model, but today’s developments mark the first ‘official’ word.
The news hasn’t come by way of the company’s copywriters, however - but rather Jeep CEO himself, Mike Manley, at this week’s Detroit auto show.
Speaking with American website Vvuzz.com, Manley said “not only can I put a Hellcat motor in [a Grand Cherokee] for you, I’m going to bring that to market by the end of 2017”.
Manley’s comment came in response to automotive scribe Brian Makse’s request for a Hellcat upgrade to his favourite Jeep, the Grand Cherokee SRT.
He’s not the only one hoping for a mental Grand Cherokee, of course. American buyers would be lining up for such a thing if announced (and now it seems it has been), and the company’s Australian arm has likewise made no secret of its hopes.
“[The SRT] is one of those cars that if we could get the supply we wanted we could sell even more of them. Obviously they can only build so many and we take all that we can get,” Fiat Chrysler Australia marketing chief Zac Loo told CarAdvice in September.
“So in the same vein, I’m sure that if something came along with more power we believe the appetite would be just as healthy.”
It seems the only thing left to confirm now is a name: Grand Cherokee SRT Hellcat, or Grand Cherokee SRT Trackhawk. The latter would fit well with the existing Trailhawk off-road badge, and it would leave little doubt as to the performance SUV’s intent.
The company is also understood to have registered the latter as a trademark, although it is believed that name might replace the now Dodge-specific SRT badge in the future.
What would you call the new hero SUV, and would you be buying one? Tell us in the comments below.
0
